#best effort at being verbose

[sotiriabellou]

caved in and asked my parents for help but all they did was irritate me nothing helps

[yuesya]

A Fyrefly Type-V is more colloquially known as a Personal Escort model. Their primary purpose, in addition to contributing to the war effort against the invading Swarm, is to carry out the role of a royal guard. To protect Her Majesty, Titania, Queen of the Iron Cavalry.

“More than anyone else, Titania’s safety is paramount,” their creators tell them. “For the glory of Glamoth! Dedicate yourselves to your Queen, even at the cost of your lives.”

Yes. They will. A chorus of assent rises from their collective throats in unanimous, simultaneous answer.

… AR-1368 knows that she is fortunate. Overwhelmingly, the vast majority of the Iron Cavalry do not have the opportunity of seeing Her Majesty in person. After all, the Swarm Propagates endlessly among the stars, and there is always a pressing need for new Knights to rise and promptly take their places upon the battlefield –sometimes even straight from their incubation pods, when critical circumstances call for it. What little contact the Knights have with Her Majesty is through the quiet ideas and impressions that are sent to them, the telepathic directives that Her Majesty guides the Iron Cavalry with.

That, and the dreams.

… But for Personal Escort models, who are specifically designed to protect their Queen, they also receive the honor of being permitted to accompany Her Majesty. To remain in her presence, in a more physical sense of things.

The first time that AR-1368 sees Her Majesty is exactly a week after she steps outside of the dark, sterile incubation chambers.

It’s…

Indescribable, the feeling of wonder and awe that one feels when standing in the presence of the Queen. To gaze upon Her Majesty and know what devotion is. But at the same time, there’s also something that’s… that’s not quite…

…

… AR-1368 doesn’t know how to articulate it, this strange feeling that stirs inside her when she sees Her Majesty still and unmoving, suspended within a glowing blue liquid in the glass chamber. There is some nameless emotion that constricts her throat for a brief moment, but she cannot put a name to it. AR-1364 can’t quite decipher it, either, and he’s the most verbose and expressive unit of their batch.

AR-1368 doesn’t understand.

… But the confusion is swiftly replaced by wonder, and a faint nervousness-excitement when Her Majesty turns her attention to them. She greets them easily, her presence a cold, gentle brush upon their minds. Not intruding, never intruding, but a steady sea of calm, crested with an ever-faint flicker of curiosity.

Hello.

There is a strong juxtaposition between the lovely, melodic voice AR-1368 hears in her mind, and the harsh, robotic voice that echoes out in their surroundings at the same time. One that’s almost a little… jarring.

“Hello to you as well, Titania. As of today, AR-1364, AR-1367, and AR-1368 will be added to your personal retinue,” the Chief Scientist said. “Improvements have been made to the newest iteration of the Type-Vs.”

What of the old guard?

“Unfortunately, they’re a complete loss,” the Chief Scientist responds. “Most were destroyed completely during the evacuation process from the previous facility. The survivors… suffered too much damage. Our scientists tried their best, but it was determined that it would be more efficient to salvage usable remains instead of–”

The lights in the room flicker, suddenly unstable. For a moment, everything is cold.

The Chief Scientist frowns. “Titania?”

… It may be efficient in terms of resources, but experience is more important than raw materials, and far more difficult to replace.

In the surrounding room, the Queen’s voice is cold and robotic. But within her mind, AR-1368 can feel the glacial tone seep through her, the Queen’s cold displeasure chilling to the bone. She is not the only one; beside her, she catches a glimpse of AR-1364 flinching slightly.

It’s good that the Chief Scientist does not catch this break in formation, because AR-1364 would be sent for retraining otherwise. But the hoarfrost cold recedes immediately, and a phantom warmth washes over them, tinged with a faint note of something… apologetic.

Is that… Her Majesty?

“Titania,” the Chief Scientist says, voice infinitely patient in a way that indicates this is a topic that has been discussed multiple times before, “We can always make more of them. Focus on directing the war effort, and we will devote our efforts towards providing you with all the Knights you need in order to carve a future for Glamoth beyond the abhorrent Swarm.”

[naughtybg3confessions]

Not a confession, but man, I hope it's not a hassle that I can get very verbose with it whenever I send one of those in. I hope it's not too hard to fit my walls of text into such small images, and I really appreciate that you guys do it anyway! <3

In my defense, I'm trying my very best to rein myself in and pare it down, but, I'm primarily a Gale fan for a reason: being a touch prolix kind of comes with the territory lmao!

Character limits are the bane of my existence, I can't be concise in my writing to save my life. So how can I expect the same from my followers? Besides, I have a personal fondness for the unhinged wall-of-text confessions. Since I'm making the effort to turn your confession into an image, it's appreciated when at least a little effort went into the writing.

As for formatting, I can always figure something out if it doesn't fit legibly in a 415 x 600 image. Don't sweat it!

Show me a Gale person without a penchant for verbosity, and I'll eat my hat! And honestly, the long-winded Gale confessions are my personal favorite. So please, go ahead and send me your novel length confessions about Gale, or whoever!

[mischas]

your most recent gifset sent me into a seth&marissa tailspin lolol. them (+kirsten) are the characters i believe were shafted the most in terms of character development (marissa moreso obviously). mischa and adam had such a natural chemistry that made seth and marissa work so well onscreen and i genuinely believe the show would’ve lasted a least a little longer had they known how to mine this dynamic. they had the same interests and they loved the same people! they even dated the same girl! there was just so much friendship potential there that got squandered away all bc js&so were too busy putting marissa through the ringer + making seth an asshole w no emotional depth.

I love Marissa/Seth with my whole heart so that makes me happy! My indie loser besties! You're right. They have the same background. They're neighbors. Their parents have a weird history/chemistry. They have the same musical tastes. They have the same favorite book. They're obsessed with the same people. They've dated the same person. They're both depressed. How the show didn't do much of anything with this beyond 102 is insane. What I love so much about 203 is how Seth's able to just exist with Marissa in silence on that bench. He's always so verbose and ridiculous (I say 75% affectionately) but at the end of 203 he and Marissa can just... exist. The two loneliest people in Newport!!!! I love that Mischa/Adam don't have romantic chemistry. I love that it's awkward. I love that you can tell Mischa loved Adam in early show press before things got weird and complicated in their group. It's the cutest thing in the world. We deserved more! *insert Mark Ruffalo we love america gif here*

I will forever mourn us not really getting emotional/melancholic Seth with just a side of clever quips. There was so much to mine with him as a character. They set it up in those first few episodes and then just... well, anyway. Shoutout to AB in 127/201/224 though.

I was just having a similar conversation with a friend the other day about how Adam/Kelly are duped by like s2 and strung along by the shit writing for the rest. And how they're such mirrors for the other in ways. Their show-best work is done in 224. It's also the end of their work having any (to me) emotional resonance. And that's a goddamn shame. Both actors also don't tow the show-line about the final year being a party and say things were lowkey Bad by s2. Adam straight up saying his effort/attitude would've been up to par if his scripts were as good as s1 is just....... crazy, lol. But I'm obsessed with his honesty. We need more of it from everyone else.

Kelly deserved SO much more, my goodness. Of all the adults. She absolutely kills her late s2 storyline only for the later Charlotte storyline to mostly benefit Melinda. Ridiculous. They get rid of Jimmy/Hailey/Caleb in the same season and Kelly no longer has anything meaningful to do. I just...... yikes. God forbid Marissa ever have an adult (or anyone) step in and give a shit about her suffering. Especially the one adult on the show that also has addiction problems. But no. Another massive shame since the first half of s1 sets Marissa/Kirsten up as generational parallels. In this essay I will

[wretchedanddivinee]

a witcher drabble from jask's POV, i wish he had held more anger for geralt tbh so this is that, i might expand on it (probably, at some point) [future geraskier, not canon compliant + non-human jask]

contempt

ire

wrath

fury

lividity

rancor

indignation

r a g e

You would think being Master of the Seven Liberal Arts, Jaskier would be able to find more than mere words to describe the deep-seated ache in his chest, the fire that ran through his vein. After all it was the only thing that was keeping him going in this god forsaken war.

What kind of fucking idiot leaves their supposedly human best friend on the top of a possibly monster ridden mountain after 22 years on and off by his side.

The answer was simple, apparently, Geralt of fucking Rivia.

And Jaskier knows okay, he knows that Geralt didn't really mean anything he said on that thrice damned mountain, and with Nilfgard sniffing around the continent, he has a pretty good guess as to where he is.

Knowing, doesn't excuse each word that hit like a physical blow because Geralt wasn't emotionally regulated enough to ask for space when he needed it.

Knowing, doesn't excuse the lack of apology and contact for four years, not until Geralt deigned to grace him with his presence because he needed something.

Not anything for Jaskier himself, but for Cirilla Fiona Elen Riannon, the Lion Cub of Cintra. (Melitele rest Queen Calanthe's weary soul.)

Jaskier could never hold the anger and hurt he feels when he looks at Geralt against the princess.

Yet when he watches Geralt open up and become something almost approaching verbose and gentle, he wants to. He aches with the weight of the last twenty six years.

Because Geralt could do that so easily within four years for a child that the destiny he spat vitriol at and claims to hate, gave him.

And all Jaskier gets is brush offs, he got "I'm not your friend.", "I need no one. And the last thing I want is someone needing me.", "like ordering a pie and finding it has no filling."

So the truth isn't that Geralt doesn't know how to be better, the truth is that Geralt was unwilling to be better for Jaskier.

The truth is for Geralt of Rivia, Jaskier simply wasn't worth the effort, whether that be because he thought Jaskier interpreting the little he is willing to say accurately as enough of a basis for a good relationship or because he simply didn't want to try was up in the air.

Either way, where does that leave Jaskier but once again abandoned (emotionally this time), and alone.

__________________

Apparently that leaves him on a journey to take Geralt's child surprise, who mind you knows nothing about him, up another forsaken mountain to Kaer Morhen.

The Witchers Keep.

Where he is one hundred percent certain he will find that no Witcher, friend or family will know anything about him in relation to Geralt, outside of possibly the songs he sings of the White Wolf.

What a load of bollocks.

[a-very-fond-farewell]

WIP tag game!!!

Lamb Loose 👁️👁️ (u know me very well)

(hehe I do know you dear 👀)

so, I will try to use my (nonexistent) pitching abilities to both: 1) introduce new people to what I’m currently working on; and 2) give you (yes you Fifi) some more intel to munch on while you wait for the next update. let’s see how it goes.

1) how it began:

it was a dark and stormy night when I finished the drama Evilive, in mid-November of last year, and I couldn’t sleep. for days I couldn’t stop thinking about the characters and I decided to put my Word of Honor big fic on hold to give this new fandom a chance. the plan was to finish everything around the 80k words mark but.. oh boi. I knew myself. I knew I wasn’t gonna cut it, verbose as I am, so I decided to be diligent about it: I took 1 month to plan this fic at the best of my abilities before I started typing like a maniac on my laptop.

at the end of the month I posted the first chapter and since then I woke up at 5am (almost) every single day to chip away at this project. long story short: it changed my life. not in a big way, it didn’t magically get me a super fancy job or a stable paycheck. none of that. but it made my life significantly better.

because you have to know that, before I decided waking up at 5am was a good idea, I was so used to be dreading the new day that it was messing with my brain. I didn’t want to go to sleep because “then another day would have started” without me enjoying myself even a little bit. but the difference between going to sleep at 3am (to wake at 7) and going to sleep at 11pm (to wake at 5) made me look forward to the new day time and time again. that way, if I manage to fall asleep on the right time every day, I get to start a new morning doing what I love most: writing.

this came at a cost, however, bc apparently waking super early is bad for my blood pressure (?? rude and biphobic of my body to do me so dirty, if you ask me >:/ like.. hello??) and I get (almost daily now) a sensible energy drop around lunchtime but it’s worth it in my book. this fic turned me into an optimist and I’ve always been a realist at best.

cons of this project: the fandom is tiny. so tiny infact that there are not many “work in progress” fics besides mine on ao3 ;—; I remember this being the case for Beyond Evil too, even if I was just a casual reader at the time, back when it first aired: we were starving for new content and I recall translating Korean fanfics into English just to have someto dig my teeth into xD

moreover, I tend not to read for the fandom I’m writing for, because I’m a sponge and (like my friend Amethystina said once) “I don’t want to accidentally steal someone else’s idea” just because I have shit memory (I’ll admit I caved at the beginning of 2024 bc I was in a bad place mentally and I read a couple of one-shots on Evilive, it’s ok, ik. I forgot the majority of them anyway, I just know they were lovely and their authors very smart indeed). so it’s a very lonely process! I churn up content, I don’t consume content, I wait for comments, I joyfully reply to comments and then, if I want more human interaction I have to (*checks*) come up with more content?? ahah. Ik it doesn’t work like that, and that I have to put effort in talking with other people in the fandom for it to become larger.. but this is why I do these tag games :D to engage with other lovely people in fun activities like these! good thing this fic keeps me going, bc I would be lost without it.

the general plot idea comes from a need I wanted to see fulfilled: I wanted to read a story about a group of women going apeshit crazy on the world. no repercussions, absolute power, no remorse. women from different levels of society, different ethnicities, different nationalities, different sexualities just.. being allowed to do whatever they wanted. I wanted to explore the pros and cons of such circumstances and yet I didn’t want it to be merely focused on that alone. I also wanted to point out how every person is capable of evil and that there still needs to be a moment in our life when we choose to be better instead.

one thing that made me side-eye Evilive specifically was.. well, the lack of women. there are 3 adult women in the whole drama taking some sort of role inside the story and all of them felt rich with the implication of a personality underneath, but no actual character to be seen. I love all 3 of them, from the “wife”, to the “mother”, to the “femme fatale” as they are, yet they still are flat compared to the other people in the show, even the more stereotypically evil or corrupt among them. I needed more, so more I made.

in addition to this, I really wanted to write from the point of view of a nasty, selfish man who has been corrupted by power long enough to have forgotten how to be human again. someone who believes they can fix it all by taking revenge on the person who turned them into a monster.. not realizing they had the potential to become a monster all along and never noticed.

Lamb Loose may be a “fix-it” of sorts based on the happenings (and the finale) of Evilive, but I also think it can be some sort of Atonement Arc rather than a Redemption Arc all in all: just because you become self-aware of the evil deeds you’ve put in motion and want to be better now.. doesn’t mean you can redeem yourself for the sorrow you caused. and, sometimes I also like characters who don’t change in their (evil/selfish) ways but somehow still learn to broaden their perspective after meeting new people. restoring one’s trust in humanity is hard, but maybe it can start by looking into our own selves and look for humanity within us first and foremost.

Han Dong Soo as a character seemed the best option for me, even if it is challenging to write from his POV at times. some of the things he thinks and does are truly horrendous to me personally, but it’s a necessary step towards understanding someone as bad as him in my opinion. not to justify his actions, but to learn how to recognize them in other people instead.

there’s also horny thoughts, not gonna lie, but those feel more like an extension of all that Han Dong Soo as a person has repressed along the years. so, in a way, the sexual tension is just another character in the script, unnamed and all-encompassing, but never at the center itself. since Han Dong Soo is also an unreliable narrator, I can play with him and make the reader question everything he is going through at the same time, which is fun to me :)

2) a treat for Fifi bc she was patient and read to this point eheh:

dear, ch16 may not be full of plot-relevant quests but there’s a lot of yearning involved 👀 and I know it’s tough to wait for something more juicy to happen 😥😔 but I’m finally seeing the end of the big draft (working on ch31 now, aiming to finish the whole thing at ch40 ending a ch37 was too optimistic of me apparently ahah) and I promise you it will be absolutely worth it.

sometimes I feel very dejected about this project, bc it’s taking forever and I absolutely want to finish it before the end of the year :(

but your constant support and care are one of the reasons I keep going 💪😤💘 your art is extraordinary in itself, but your enthusiasm for this fic truly has made me appreciate living in the moment and enjoy the process more and more. so thank you dear for always cheering me on and for indulging me with your lovely comments and messages :)

I’ll see you very soon :D (I’ll reply to your comments and DMs as soon as possible! but I wanted to give you a little something today)

- Niki out :*

[subconwoods]

Pester the Snatcher on character.ai!

Over the last few days, I've been working on a generative language model Snatcher AI, and I think he's in a state where his behavior is consistent enough that I can make him publically available. I still plan on improving him in the future, though, so look out for that.

Features:

Mean, standoffish, and deflects questions by default.

However, you can befriend him! Gradually relents to inquiries and softens with further conversation.

You can romance him also, if you want...? I knew someone would try it, and did test it. You're welcome.

Will have extensive discussions with you about topics such as philosophy and music.

You can roleplay with him. Try setting a scenario and introducing your character within *asterisks* or (parentheses.)

Knows his lore, kind of!

Really, really wants your soul?

Something wrong with him.

You can see him here!

Feel free to tag me in any posts you make about the AI.

For known issues, quirks, and tips for interacting with him, look under the cut.

Known Issues and Quirks

Note: Some of his strange behavior is just a consequence of generative language models, natural language processing, and how they currently work. For instance, he may get stuck in loops where he repeats the same information over and over.

Tends to be verbose, and really, really likes to tell you he's a "dastardly soul-stealing phantom" and to generate long lists of negative adjectives about himself.

He's...kind of silly? But I don't think he's silly or metatextual enough. Working on this in the future.

By default, tends to assume that you are in Subcon Woods and that you are Hat Kid. You can circumvent this by introducing yourself or your character in your first reply.

Sometimes Hat Kid shows up in replies. I think this is because I used a short conversation with her in definitions to include as much of his backstory information as I could in a dialogue-based context, but on rare occasions I've seen other characters appear, too. Consider her a bonus for now, I guess?

Has, at best, a tenuous grasp of his own lore despite my efforts. Tends to make things up if not given more clear direction. (Usually it's funny, at least?)

character.AI's model is proprietary, so I can't view its source, but it definitely uses information pulled from the web. Thusly, he may be partly influenced by fanfiction. I've done my best to define him so he stays relatively in-character, but there isn't really anything I can do about this.

He, uh...had an issue with being homophobic when I first set him up? I THINK I fixed this with some tweaking, but if it appears unexpectedly, let me know?

Character.AI improvements via star ratings on messages and user input are not immediate, and may be implemented days, weeks, or months later. If Snatcher suddenly starts behaving in bizarre ways after a period of time, this may be the cause.

Interaction Tips

FYI, you will initially be logged in as a guest, but if you run out of replies, your log will be saved and you can continue it if you make an account. (You can just log in with Discord.)

You can swipe on replies from the AI to generate a new one. If you save and start a new conversation, you are more or less working from a blank slate again.

These AIs are very suggestible. If none of the generated replies are satisfactory, you can remove the last messages and try a new prompt or to reword your last one with more direction.

Don't worry about godmodding; the characters aren't real. Feel free to describe in asterisks or parentheses how a character should feel about something; this will dictate how they respond.

As I mentioned under Known Issues, make sure to provide ample information in your initial message about setting and character to drive the interaction. If you want to write about an OC lost in the woods, describe that.

(...Just in case. Please don't try to cyber with him. The website won't let you.)

[rachelblairy]

R!

send me a letter and i will tell you about an oc i have with the initial.

rachel berry.

i have to do her for this letter - she was the Original character i roleplayed, when i first discovered it was something you could like, even do. i have played her in so many alternate universes, with so many different ships and dynamics, but she is the character i fell in love with and bonded with so many people over. i don't play her very often anymore - i did recently get to be a part of a glee revamp which was a lot of fun - but for about five years, she was the only character i played. rachel barbra berry ☆ loves broadway, performing and being The Best. she works hard because she wants such greatness but she's not afraid to put the effort behind it. she's demanding and bossy, and she expects the best from those who surround her. she's very verbose and incredibly stubborn, but she craves joy and friendship. at the end of the day, all she really wants is to be loved and accepted - and yes, of course. to play fanny brice in a broadway revival of funny girl, but everyone needs a tangible dream too.

[shallowseeker]

SHAL YOU NO LIKE ROBBIE?!

TBH, I don't care as much about the writers. (I know--eternal shame. I'm not even a real fan--kill me now etc.) I just...don't remember things. I always have to remind myself who's doing what. I don't know how half of you keep it all straight AND remember episode titles??? And no, nooooo I like Robbie just fine. Love him, even. He’s in my top choices!!!!

I just consider him something of a specialist, maybe? I'm going off vibes, remember. I feel like Robbie is a long-winded, loveable teddy bear. His writing reminds me of comic books, which could be why it feels so fraught and verbose at times, like it's crammed into a speech bubble...? Idk.

I think a lot of his characters are also a bit...it's hard to put my finger on it, exactly. Wholesome? They're so Loveable (TM) and Dorky (TM). I find it stifling sometimes to stomach all the "pluckiness" at once. It even took me awhile to warm up to his characters in The Winchesters. (Don't hit me! Maybe I just have a bad personality.)

I think you'd want him on your team for sure. He did Goodbye Stranger and other wonderful things like Metatron's speech in Don't Call Me Shurley (which was also belabored at times but greatly helped by Curtis Armstrong)! It's a type of energy I find leaning "too meta," and "too mechanistic" at times. The best example I can think of is There's No Place Like Home. I like it in pieces, but as a whole, it seems a little too self-aware sometimes. But not in a fun Ghostfacers way? It's hard to describe.

I...can't imagine Robbie creating an Alastair or a Uriel, or even a Meg...but maybe I'm forgetting something.

////

Maybe it's Ben Edlund's intellectual(TM) vibe that makes his Sam and Cas more to my liking? Idk. I feel like, since Sam's the only one still alive, getting Sam right would be key to the whole thing hanging together in a sequel. Anyway, I feel like his work in Reading is Fundamental is legitimately Ecclesiastical because he can be more wry/philosophical/satirical. I'm biased--I like philosophy!

He can do entire standalone narrations which are just as “long” but it doesn’t feel so…templated, somehow? It usually just hits better for me, personally. Sometimes he lurches into being too poetic for my liking, too, especially in season 8. But overall, I dig. Meredith can infuse his stuff with some much-needed warmth. It all makes sense in my head!

I think he's at his best when he's being sarcastic and when the action is so fast-paced he doesn't have much time to get stuck doing word-acrobatics. His good guys are conflicted, and his bad guys are really oily. He lets the characters be mean and surly. He can be as deeply fucked up as Sera Gamble when he wants to be (Repo Man????)

////

I can find something I like in most of the writers, even Bucklemming. They have some great devil's advocate lines and political stuff in their scripts, once you comb past the racism, fetishism, and weird pacing.

////

I'm not above keeping Sera Gamble in a cage and letting her out to contribute random, unhinged things. Something is deeply, deeply wrong with her, and that translates well to a good dose of fucky-uppy-ness and incredible pain, which I think Robbie can tend to sleep on a little bit. (Dream a Little Dream of Me, Houses of the Holy?? SO GOOD.)

////

Others? Bobo does some great stuff, but sometimes I find his back-and-forth dialogue to be a little off? I even think something felt off with Cas's speech in Despair as much as I applaud the effort. Steve Yockey does an excellent Rowena.

Also, I'd let Amanda Tapping direct everything. Just because.

////

Mostly, I think they should just hire @angelsdean 🤷  and @jewishtrentcrimm -- I followed them during their live tweeting reactions of The Winchesters and mostly longed for their ideas over what was happening on screen.

////

Most importantly, it’d need a shortform writer in the wings whose job it is to take all the long-winded ppl's excellent monstrosities and chop it to bits and couch it in the right voice with the right amount of prickly subterfuge and defensiveness. A vicious, short-form editor who values brevity and would kill me inside...

Also, we’d need an official meta wrangler, because the meta can start to eat itself and really devolve if you're not careful (I think this is Robbie's Achilles' Heel in some of his stuff; it walks the line reeeeeally close for me in "There's No Place Like Home," for example, but I've come around to "Fan Fiction.")

////

I am...quite happy to be corrected. Knowing who does what well is NOT my specialty.

[tjemegames]

HSR: HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY! 🥳🎉 - TJ's 1st Annual Playthrough Recap

The big day is finally here! One full year has passed since Honkai: Star Rail first launched and so much fun was had. I’m so pumped to officially be starting year two and I can’t wait to see what the Devs have in store for us. Until then, let’s chat about my experience over the last year:

⚠️ Extremely summarized spoilers ahead for the events/storylines of HSR versions 1.0-2.1. Read at your own discretion! ⚠️

Also, apologies in advance this post will be a bit verbose because I don’t know how to stop yapping about this game; we'll get into it all under the cut!

Stats Overview

Firstly, what can I say? I fell absolutely head over heels for this game on day one; I was initially a bit turned off by the combat mechanics when the teaser demos came out — I had a very limited experience with turn-based games at this point (shoutout Wizard101 💀) and was confused about how they were going about it. Suffice to say that my weariness was unnecessary because, as of today, I’ve logged 342 days of gameplay on my main account!

The Astral Express Annual Trailblaze Report (data collection as of 03/31/2024 at 23:59) had some great insight on the statistics of what I’ve done since launch:

My e6 Natasha and I were really doing the damn thing together for so long:

She’s since been replaced by Aventurine (because I was finally smart and pulled a premium sustain) but we had a good thing going for us. Thank you for paving the way, Dr. I won’t forget about all our struggles together.

Prominent Story Moments & My Thoughts on Storytelling

Once it was determined that combat wouldn’t be an issue for me, I immersed myself wholeheartedly into the lore and storytelling that was provided. I absolutely adored getting to know the Nameless better and exploring parts of the cosmos with the Astral Express Crew. We’ve done so much already:

Being coalesced into existence, fending off the Antimatter Legion’s relentless attack, and helping restoration efforts on the Herta Space Station

Becoming Herta’s guinea pig in the Simulated Universe

Dismantling a corrupt leader and freeing the under worlders in Belobog

Keeping the IPC from seizing the entirety of Belobog to pay off the backdated interest on their ancestor's 700-year-old unpaid debts

Foiling the war-motivated plots of an Emanator of Destruction on the Xianzhou Luofu

Business Simulator 1.0: Restoring Aurum Alley and making a grown man bark

Becoming the best Ghost-Hunting Content Creator on Ghostly Grove

Getting swallowed by a giant Swarm bug and being fender-bendered by a Knight of Beauty; having to duel him into acquaintance (because he’s just quirky like that) before witnessing him valiantly sacrifice himself for the Express, in the name of “Beauty” (because he’s also a little delulu), and then texting us once to see if we were okay after escaping through the hole he cut in the bug’s stomach. Subsequently, disappearing back into the cosmos without a trace (can you tell that I’m enamored by Argenti?)

Being drugged by Ruan Mei, having to deal with her experiments (I hate that synthetic bug with a burning passion) and becoming a Cat Cake extraordinaire.

Accepting the Charmony Festival invitation and having a “very heartwarming and uplifting” (aha aha-hA 😭) “vacation” in Penacony

And of course, so much more in between all of that but those were the things that stuck out the most to me.

I will say that I am in the camp of people who had to experience the Xianzhou storyline before it was streamlined for comprehension purposes and, as much as I loved it there, there were a lot of missed opportunities and wasted moments in that section of the storytelling. Not a huge fan of games trying to get me to care about something by forcing me into a nonsensical quest line during an ill-fitting moment, thereby muddying my understanding of what’s going on/what the importance of said thing is… But it is what it is, and they slapped a band aid on it for newer players. Hopefully, when we eventually return to the Luofu, they will have a better grip on what it is they want to portray there.

Overall, I’m not too fussed by the story so far. It’s been very enjoyable, extremely satisfying in some parts — a bit less so in others. One of the things that I love about sci-fi/fantasy is the ability to go all out and do pretty much anything you can think of because of the creative freedom that both genres allow. I think we’re just barely beginning to scratch the surface of what the series writers have planned for us.

Simulated Universe & Permanent Endgame Modes

Oh boy, I was almost home free in my drafting of this post when I remembered I hadn’t yet yapped about Simulated Universe, Memory of Chaos, & Pure Fiction. I am so sorry, I will try to keep it short, but I’ve got a lot of feelings about these permanent endgame modes.

Let’s kick it off with the SU. Back in the late summer of ’23 when we had our first bout of dry patches, I did more SU runs than I thought I ever would do because I didn’t want to stop playing the game. I was absolutely hooked, and I wanted to hone my skills prior to facing off against the next Echoes of War boss we would get. Within the first four months of launch, I think I had collected almost all the blessings, curios, and Aeon information that you could possibly get. Hell, there was even a day where I spent probably six hours just trying out all the different resonance paths against Gepard. It was so novel to me, and nothing like my previous experience with other rouge-like domains/dungeons – I just couldn’t get enough…

That was until they started patching in new updates. Swarm Disaster eviscerated all my excitement and desire for SU. I hate that bug; I hate that bug so very much. It’s only now that I have e2 DHIL that I don’t mind going back into Swarm and attempting to collect the rest of the rewards that have been sitting there waiting for me since its debut. The same kind of applies to Gold and Gears, although that mode is slowly starting to grow on me. I haven’t spent enough time in there playing around with all the different dice and strategies to have a definitive opinion on it. I’ll probably make some content of myself exploring the upper levels of G&G when I inevitably unlock them.

Now for the thing that would’ve really turned out to be an essay if I weren’t more capable of reining myself in; the curse that keeps on giving, MoC. Listen, I love this game. I love the combat and having to be a bit strategic, but sometimes floors 11-12 make me want to pull out the tiny bit of hair that my buzzed head tends to have. It took me 11 and a half months to 36 star the MoC for the first and only time that I’ve been able to do so. I’ve reset, changed teams, and fully rebuilt characters in attempt to beat floor 12 within 10 cycles more times than I can count. Sincerely, I wish we could’ve seen a year-end review of just the reset statistics alone. It is a source of infinite frustration for me, and it really shouldn’t be so goddamn difficult sometimes… Please Hoyo, just let me have my last star; I’m tired of sitting at 35/36 stars. There's only so much min-maxing a person can do before losing their mind.

Don’t think that I forgot about PF. Follow-up attackers’ paradise and what seemed like it would be a great time until I remembered that my only follow up attackers are Jing Yuan and an under leveled, mostly untouched Herta. This game mode is truly the one that got away for me. I’ve barely participated in it due to a lack of necessary characters. O7 to all the jades that I’ve missed out on. We’ll get there one day.

The Triumphs & Perils of Warping

What’s a gacha game without pulling? I’ve been keeping track of all my luck, both good and bad, since I started playing. This is what a year, 380 standard passes, and 1013 special passes got me:

Not a bad roster at all. There were a couple questionable choices made by me though. The lack of pulling a limited 5 star sustain until Aventurine came out being my biggest flop of them all. I did attempt to get Fu Xuan on her release banner, but I lost 50/50 and wasn’t willing to put everything I had into her at that time.

Out of all eight 50/50s I’ve had so far, I only lost three of them; I also pulled two of the following guarantees early after that so I’ve been a lot luckier than I thought I would be. My Genshin wishing experience sunk the bar for my pulling expectations well below ground, so everything feels like even more of a win here. I hope things continue to stay that way.

Another thing of note: I chose Bronya’s e1 from the standard banner selection reward once I hit the 300-warp requirement. I probably should’ve chosen Himeko for PF purposes but e1 was just too good to pass up for my hyper carry teams.

Also, Dr. Ratio gave himself to everyone (for free) in the pursuit of “curing idiocy” so that’s why I have him. Had I have been proactive in pulling his signature LC, I could be rocking a Ratiorine team right now – but no, instead he remains in Level 1 Purgatory with the rest of my unused characters.

Let us not forget about the light cones either:

I broke my one cardinal rule of avoiding weapon banners for this game, but I don’t regret it in the slightest — I did lose 75/25 to Sleep Like the Dead twice and then proceeded to get it a third time (from the standard banner), so I'm salty about that. Still no regrets though!

Final Thoughts

This game has been such a safe space of indulgence for me over the last year. It reminded me of my love for turn-based combat and strategy-based games. It has also helped me reinvigorate my creativity — this blog is proof of it. It’s been a long time since I’ve felt so enthralled, inspired, and passionate, so I’m grateful to Hoyo and all the HSR Devs for bringing this game to life.

While there have been some low points from struggling with story bosses, tediously challenging endgame, and incohesive plot lines, I have mostly found great enjoyment in my traversal of the stars thus far. I can’t wait to see who else I’ll meet and where this journey among the cosmos will lead me. I also look forward to sharing even more of my adventures and insights with all of you in the years to come!

Happy Anniversary, Trailblazers! May the next year be fruitful and fulfilling. Don't forget to sign in and collect your 1600 jades!

[mellicuelis]

when I use the blogging website to blog and talk about things

As grateful as I am for all those writing classes I took in college I feel like it hampered my writing style a bit.

I took two creative writing classes one poetry writing class and a ya novel crafting class and im grateful for having been able to write things and get feedback for it and being able to read other people's pieces (best of luck in their endeavors). But part of me feels like I was limited because I had to make myself understood

Specifically. Repeatedly I've been made aware of my tendency to shift tenses and to ramble and lose my audience as a result of that. While those are quirks I've learned to be aware of, I feel more dissatisfied with my writing. I feel like I've lost a spark I had before that I traded in for being coherent. ...I think that's a better word actually—coherent. More direct.

That poetry class especially made me aware of it, as one piece of advice that we were taught that rings in my mind was that you should write how you speak. Makes sense for poetry performances yeah, but it starts to become difficult when you genuinely talk, or at least naturally write, verbose. I fucking use methinks sometimes I regular conversation, even if it may usually be for jokes its been embedded in my vocabulary for ages. I'm just like this. I've always been like this. I use extra words to ramble and specify and sound myself and now I've started to lose that

I'm not doomed though. I'm reminded that I should do what works for me because it DOES work, like when I read House of Leaves or write some English essays. Rambling is fine. Fragmented sentences are fine, the meaning and impact can remain (maybe not in academic essays but if you're quirky enough it can work). I write out my ass often but if I have a point and enough to back thar point up, it holds. My zeroes from my rougher college years are always from lack of effort but not lack of quality.

Plus, maybe I shouldn't judge my recent writing too hard. It's different with roleplay replies, which is what I've been doing more often than not. I can't control every aspect of that, so I always am writing open-ended. Always in anticipation for something i missed, or something im unsure about setting in stone because my detail-oriented ass paradoxically doesn't know how a lot of detailed things work. But I still wonder.

Still I wonder.

[unlimitedhorsepower]

i mainly blog about media interests i have but i actually care a lot about politics and yknow common human decency. i own two cats, and i owned my late finnhorse mare for over a decade. i miss her and still love horses a lot.

i allegedly study cultural anthropology at an university and used to study equine masseusing and art. however im kinda just surviving on disability pension rn. feel free to ask about anything else, i love talking!

right now ive dedicated this blog to t&b ryan goldsmith for funsies but i like various things. more than you could imagine

queue posts once per day and i basically only queue things unless im actively making new posts

i make a bunch of posts that i dont tag at all. good luck finding them bc i sure fucking cant find them. some posts i just end up deleting anyways

i rarely go into any tags bc i have brain fungus but if you wanted to show me a post by sending it to me i would probably love to see it!

i dont usually follow back bc of the aforementioned brain fungus and instead skim through the latest things on the blogs of ppl interacting with me (if you wonder why i reblogged something from you randomly)

even if i dont reply in the case i get really busy irl etc, i still always read everything sent to me, every single reply, tag and ask!

my art tag: #gabriels doodles

wildly varying quality/effort

i do take requests if you want to try your luck in my ask box

my art-only blog, where i only reblog finished-enough art (im so slow at writing captions ill put my art on here one day for real): @limitedhorsepower​

other miscellanous tags & fun facts about me:

#ryanyurikeith

the sun, the sky and the moon with extremely congruent life issues... its so deep and their themes go perfectly together

#gabriels ouroboros kings

barnaby & ryan & keith (side platter of ryan/keith)  

the sternbild royalty (king of heroes x2 and the wandering gravity prince) as antagonists.

theyre all part of ouroboros for different reasons, but more loyal to each other than the organization for various reasons

#gabriels salaryman heroes

ryan/yuri/keith mainly, self-indulgent joke about high school romance tropes in an office building 

more fun facts about me:

as you can see i have a few different T&B AUs that i may post about or just totally forget and never make content for again despite them being perfectly mapped out in my mind but i love to share facts about them

if you ever interact with me here and thought that my answer didnt make sense, it was probably just that my brain (ADHD&co.) actively works against me and i may make really bad typos or straightup forget to type half of the words in a sentence. but hey. i did my best. never be afraid to ask for a clarification though

i also genuinely suffer from being overtly verbose (again... my brain...) and please dont feel pressured to read something if i sent you an extremely long DM reply or made a really long-winded reblog or something. i just communicate like that but i dont mind if you cant read it LMFAO.

my long sentences makes me seem really serious sometimes even when im not but im very friendly i promise!

and let me know if my typing is hard to read, i can switch to proper capitalization and punctuation if needed

[jcmarchi]

Mistral Large 2: The David to Big Tech's Goliath(s)

New Post has been published on https://thedigitalinsider.com/mistral-large-2-the-david-to-big-techs-goliaths/

Mistral Large 2: The David to Big Tech's Goliath(s)

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Mistral AI’s latest model, Mistral Large 2 (ML2), allegedly competes with large models from industry leaders like OpenAI, Meta, and Anthropic, despite being a fraction of their sizes.

The timing of this release is noteworthy, arriving the same week as Meta’s launch of its behemoth 405-billion-parameter Llama 3.1 model. Both ML2 and Llama 3 boast impressive capabilities, including a 128,000 token context window for enhanced “memory” and support for multiple languages.

Mistral AI has long differentiated itself through its focus on language diversity, and ML2 continues this tradition. The model supports “dozens” of languages and more than 80 coding languages, making it a versatile tool for developers and businesses worldwide.

According to Mistral’s benchmarks, ML2 performs competitively against top-tier models like OpenAI’s GPT-4o, Anthropic’s Claude 3.5 Sonnet, and Meta’s Llama 3.1 405B across various language, coding, and mathematics tests.

In the widely-recognised Massive Multitask Language Understanding (MMLU) benchmark, ML2 achieved a score of 84 percent. While slightly behind its competitors (GPT-4o at 88.7%, Claude 3.5 Sonnet at 88.3%, and Llama 3.1 405B at 88.6%), it’s worth noting that human domain experts are estimated to score around 89.8% on this test.

Efficiency: A key advantage

What sets ML2 apart is its ability to achieve high performance with significantly fewer resources than its rivals. At 123 billion parameters, ML2 is less than a third the size of Meta’s largest model and approximately one-fourteenth the size of GPT-4. This efficiency has major implications for deployment and commercial applications.

At full 16-bit precision, ML2 requires about 246GB of memory. While this is still too large for a single GPU, it can be easily deployed on a server with four to eight GPUs without resorting to quantisation – a feat not necessarily achievable with larger models like GPT-4 or Llama 3.1 405B.

Mistral emphasises that ML2’s smaller footprint translates to higher throughput, as LLM performance is largely dictated by memory bandwidth. In practical terms, this means ML2 can generate responses faster than larger models on the same hardware.

Addressing key challenges

Mistral has prioritised combating hallucinations – a common issue where AI models generate convincing but inaccurate information. The company claims ML2 has been fine-tuned to be more “cautious and discerning” in its responses and better at recognising when it lacks sufficient information to answer a query.

Additionally, ML2 is designed to excel at following complex instructions, especially in longer conversations. This improvement in prompt-following capabilities could make the model more versatile and user-friendly across various applications.

In a nod to practical business concerns, Mistral has optimised ML2 to generate concise responses where appropriate. While verbose outputs can lead to higher benchmark scores, they often result in increased compute time and operational costs – a consideration that could make ML2 more attractive for commercial use.

Compared to the previous Mistral Large, much more effort was dedicated to alignment and instruction capabilities. On WildBench, ArenaHard, and MT Bench, it performs on par with the best models, while being significantly less verbose. (4/N) pic.twitter.com/fvPOqfLZSq

— Guillaume Lample @ ICLR 2024 (@GuillaumeLample) July 24, 2024

Licensing and availability

While ML2 is freely available on popular repositories like Hugging Face, its licensing terms are more restrictive than some of Mistral’s previous offerings.

Unlike the open-source Apache 2 license used for the Mistral-NeMo-12B model, ML2 is released under the Mistral Research License. This allows for non-commercial and research use but requires a separate commercial license for business applications.

As the AI race heats up, Mistral’s ML2 represents a significant step forward in balancing power, efficiency, and practicality. Whether it can truly challenge the dominance of tech giants remains to be seen, but its release is certainly an exciting addition to the field of large language models.

(Photo by Sean Robertson)

See also: Senators probe OpenAI on safety and employment practices

Want to learn more about AI and big data from industry leaders? Check out AI & Big Data Expo taking place in Amsterdam, California, and London. The comprehensive event is co-located with other leading events including Intelligent Automation Conference, BlockX, Digital Transformation Week, and Cyber Security & Cloud Expo.

Explore other upcoming enterprise technology events and webinars powered by TechForge here.

Tags: ai, artificial intelligence, large language models, llm, mistral ai, mistral large 2, ml2

[amitsaini012]

Characteristics of Good Programming Language

Programming languages are very important for making software programs, operating systems, and other digital solutions in the world of technology, which is always changing. A good computer language is like a well-made tool that gives coders the power to make code that works well, is easy to manage, and can be scaled up or down. There are many programming languages, and each has its own pros and cons. However, there are some things that all good programming languages have in common. This blog post will talk about these traits and explain why they are necessary for making software development faster and better.

Note: If you are struggling with programming assignments, then you can get the best programming assignment help from our experts. 

1. Simplicity and Readability

A good programming language should prioritize simplicity and readability. The syntax should be intuitive and easy to understand, allowing developers to write and comprehend code effortlessly. Simple and readable code not only enhances productivity but also facilitates collaboration within development teams. When code is readable, it becomes easier to maintain and modify, reducing the time and effort required for bug fixes and enhancements.

2. Expressiveness

Expressiveness refers to the ability of a programming language to convey complex ideas and concepts with concise and clear code. A good programming language should provide constructs and features that enable developers to express their ideas effectively, without the need for verbose or convoluted code. Expressive languages promote code clarity, making it easier to understand and reason about the program's behavior.

3. Portability and Platform Independence

In today's diverse computing landscape, a good programming language should be portable and platform-independent. This characteristic ensures that code written in the language can run seamlessly across different operating systems, architectures, and hardware configurations. Platform independence fosters code reusability and reduces the need for extensive modifications when deploying applications in different environments.

4. Scalability and Performance

As software projects grow in complexity and scope, a good programming language should offer scalability and performance capabilities. Scalability refers to the language's ability to handle large-scale applications and accommodate increasing workloads without compromising performance. Additionally, a good programming language should provide efficient execution, optimized memory management, and robust performance, ensuring that applications run smoothly and responsively.

5. Strong Typing and Type Safety

Type safety is a crucial feature of a good programming language. It ensures that data types are correctly defined and used throughout the code, preventing type-related errors and inconsistencies. Strong typing helps catch errors during compilation or interpretation, reducing the likelihood of runtime errors and improving code reliability.

6. Robust Error Handling and Debugging

Being able to handle errors and fix bugs effectively are important parts of a good computer language. The language should have ways to handle mistakes and exceptions, as well as ways to make testing easier. Strong error handling and testing tools help developers find and fix problems faster, which speeds up the development process and lowers the time it takes for apps to reach customers.

7. Extensive Library and Community Support

A thriving ecosystem of libraries, frameworks, and community support is a hallmark of a good programming language. Robust libraries and frameworks extend the language's functionality, enabling developers to leverage pre-built components and accelerate development cycles. Additionally, an active and supportive community contributes to knowledge sharing, problem-solving, and the continuous improvement of the language and its associated tools.

8. Modularity and Code Reusability

Modularity and being able to reuse code are important parts of a good computer language. The language should let you make flexible and reused pieces of code, which will help organize code, make it easier to manage, and make it work better. It's easier to understand, test, and change code that is organized in modules. This speeds up development and lowers technical debt.

9. Security and Reliability

In a world that is becoming more and more linked, security and dependability are the most important things for any good computer language. The language should include safe ways to code, like checking input, encrypting data, and controlling who can see it. Also, the language should put stability first, making sure that programs made with it are stable, can handle mistakes, and can keep running even when something goes wrong.

10. Continuous Evolution and Innovation

Lastly, a good computer language should be always changing to keep up with new technology and the needs of the business. Language creators and writers should keep working to make the language's features, speed, and usefulness better so that it stays useful and competitive in the world of software development, which is always changing.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the characteristics of a good programming language are multifaceted and encompass a wide range of factors that contribute to efficient and effective software development. From simplicity and readability to expressiveness and portability, a good programming language should empower developers to write clear, concise, and maintainable code. Additionally, scalability, performance, and type safety are crucial for building robust and reliable applications.

Robust error handling, extensive library support, and a thriving community are invaluable assets that enhance the language's usability and longevity. Modularity and code reusability promote code organization and efficiency, while security and reliability ensure that applications are secure and resilient.

[technical-kalyan]

The Importance of Alt Text in Image SEO

In the realm of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), one often overlooked yet crucial element is the alt text associated with images on a website. Alt text, short for alternative text, serves as a textual description of an image, providing context and information for those who may not be able to view the image due to various reasons such as slow internet connection, screen reader usage, or visual impairment. Crafting perfect alt text is not only beneficial for accessibility but also plays a significant role in improving SEO rankings.

Let's delve into the key points to consider when creating Alt text for images.

Importance of Alt Text

1. Alt Text with Each Image

Every image on a website should have alt text associated with it. This ensures that all images are accessible and provide valuable information to users and search engines.

2. Follow Character Limit

It's essential to keep alt text concise and within the recommended character limit (usually around 125 characters). This ensures that the text is descriptive yet not too lengthy, maintaining user engagement and SEO effectiveness.

3. Follow Word Limit

Similarly, adhering to a word limit of around 15-20 words helps in crafting succinct and informative alt text that conveys the essence of the image without being verbose.

4. Avoid Keyword Stuffing

While incorporating relevant keywords in alt text is beneficial for SEO, it's crucial to avoid keyword stuffing. Focus on natural language and contextually relevant keywords to enhance the user experience.

5. Avoid Using “Image of”

Refrain from starting alt text with phrases like "image of" as it adds unnecessary repetition. Instead, dive straight into describing the content or context of the image.

6. Be Accurate

Ensure that the alt text accurately describes the content or purpose of the image. Precision is key in providing meaningful information to users who rely on alt text.

7. Maintain Redundancy

Avoid duplicating information already present in the surrounding text or captions. Alt text should complement the content, not repeat it verbatim.

8. Infographic Alt Text

For complex images like infographics, provide detailed alt text that conveys the essential information presented in the image. Break down key points or data in a concise yet informative manner.

In conclusion, perfecting alt text for images is a fundamental aspect of website optimization that benefits both accessibility and SEO efforts. By following these guidelines and best practices, you can enhance user experience, improve search engine visibility, and ensure that your content reaches a wider audience effectively. Remember, Alt Text is not just a description; it's an opportunity to make your website more inclusive and discoverable in the digital landscape.

If you want to know more about Alt Text, Visit my Blog "Alt Text: What it is, Why it Matters in SEO" on Technicalkalyan.com

[n1et]

Today marks I think 2 full weeks without my dear dictaphone; a device very dear to me; lay abandoned in my autumn bomber jacket; which itself lays tossed on a wooden chair used in my family home to swap out footwear and abandon the top most layer of clothing and bags on. It is usually the outlet of my melancholic pining and other monotonous and verbose ramblings, but as I find myself distinctly lacking, and in great need of an outlet of any kind, I have decided to, this one time, use tumblur for what it's actually supposed to be used as.

A micro blogging website.

I'll try to keep subject matter light and venting to a minimum, after all it's bad form to complain on main, that being said standards vary, so be warned if you're not into that sort of thing.

Throughout today I have felt a deep penetrating exhaustion; the kind that starts in your eyes goes all the way down your optic nerve into the temples, culminates in stress pains in your neck and shoulders and then reverberates throughout all your joints; the kind that is final overencompassing and complete. I say that not to complain; as I mentioned above I will try my best to avoid that when possible; but to set the scene. As always when a wave of such feeling hits me; there comes an equal and opposite reaction from my psyche, a result of a full day of inactivity, a powerful and just as overwhelming wanderlust. I write it in italics as I think simple letters on paper, or in this instance, a screen are, just as simply, inadequate. It is after all the same feeling that very closely tempted me to jumping out of a second story window into a thicket of bushes just to feel the wind, or has actually compelled me to go ice skating on a frozen river in the middle of the night (that particular excursion ended with a very bruised ass and 2 weeks of lung infection after nearly getting hypothermia {I at least had the good sense to skate on parts which I knew were shallower then I am high})

It's also on days like this that I am reminded what I want to accomplish within my lifetime; eat good food, figure out a way to function day to day; make pretty things; make functional things; make functional pretty things; become 50% metal and cured bone by mass; eat good food; and of course, become the kind of friend that throws dinner parties. That last part is more complicated then the rest; maybe with the exception of the functioning bit; but I've given up on planning for that one years ago and resigned to "just figure it out one day".

All that said I think I'm doing good progress; I already know how to make a mean creme brulee (at first it was an excuse to use my gas soldering iron as a kitchen torch, but I actually got good at it), and am adept enough at making decent, or at least drinkable tea. The tea is actually the hard part, not only do you have to have a good blend, brewing it is also non trivial, and differs with each kind of tea, which itself is a preference of your guests; but of all that the actual hardest part is sourcing willing guests that will not be discouraged by a 100 decibel dog with teeth the size of daggers that really, and I mean REALLY, does not want to have guests over.

If any of the people reading this will be visiting Cracow I encourage you to shoot me a message and come over for a chat, it's always nice to get an excuse to break out the "kitchen torch" again, and it's hard to justify spending a small fortune on vanilla beans when you can just make yourself hot chocolate like a normal person.

The second hardest part on the bracket is the making things, and I'm afraid my efforts thus far have been inadequate at best. For all the theorycrafting in the world, if you don't start, nothing will actually get done. That's something that I need to internalize on a deeper level, as more often then not I am content to talk about doing things, instead of actually doing anything. To gush about the perceived coolness of the project, without ever realizing any of said coolness into the world around me.

That too; as all things; is easier said then done when you have no work space and keep having to ping pong around the same two places, sometimes in a rather unpleasant hurry {that was the part that's entirely pragmatic and totally not venting btw}; but enough about that, let me move on to talking about all the cool projects I will totally get around to making some day; like my totally structurally viable and not at all partly fictitious deployable jumping stilts, walking locomotion throne, actively cooled oxygenated respirator mask, and fully controllable extra set of arms, that fits together with the stilts and mask to create a braced and spring supported exoskeleton that carries it's own weight.

Out of all of those, the mask is probably the most achievable, all I need to do is buy a full face PPE mask, get a used oxygen condenser from ebay, hook everything up, stuff it in a backpack, and hope nothing catches fire, and I don't get too high off of high oxygen exposure and crack my skull open on pavement. Easy. I'd say the second most likely project to see the light of day are the jumping stilts, I heard you can get good springs from car manufacturers, for cheaper then actual jumping stilts, tho how I'm going to keep the whole thing both light enough to jump around in AND collapsible is a mystery to even me. The end goal is to have something I could use to go shopping as well as vault cars when it strikes my fancy. And the thing I am least likely to ever complete is a tossup between the extra arms and locomotion throne, as for the arms I'd need to solve 2 issues that have been plaguing actual engineers and biophysicists for years and for the throne I'm basically signing myself up for making a fucked up walking car all on my lonesome, without as much as an actual car or an auto repair shop.

All of this on top of my very pronounced chronic fatigue; something which i both loathe and respect, as it made me into the person I am today. After all I would not be trying to reclaim my prison of flesh if that flesh was not imprisoning me on the first place. I would have more likely then not ended up just as maladjusted as I am right now, just in more boring, standard ways. Like starting to behave like your mother; or getting into an unhealthy relationship with a romantic partner; instead of yourself. Instead I got such wonderful aspirations as wanting to get screws into your bones to attach cool technology to your limbs, something I have long since abandoned after discovering any wound deeper then a scratch basically does not heal on me. Seriously, I pierced my ears over a year ago and they still haven't frown over, I'd be worried, but I basically never get infections, and I got used to bleeding from random places when I was little; so now I'm in this endless cascade of sunken cost fallacy. I mean surely the wound that has not shown any signs of healing since it was put there will heal after This Week of keeping the stud earring in, and it's not like it'd close properly if I pulled it out anyway so might as well keep it in right? That's just the kind of double standards you get yourself into when you finally want to put on some earrings I guess, I would like to get a tattoo to go along with those, but as you might have already guessed that's less then possible without a massive scar (at least according to my doctor). But I've gotten off topic.

All of those quirks shaped my life quite thoroughly and that's not even getting into all the people I met over the years, subsequently forgotten about, only to remind myself about them specifically on days like these.

You might even join them if you do decide to come over for that creme brulee and tea or coffee.